


Place

by Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Friendship, Making Friends, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo
Summary: Finding a sense of place is more than being offered a position.
Relationships: Ro Laren & Deanna Troi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13
Collections: Star Trek Holidays 2020





	Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [strangesaturday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangesaturday/gifts).



Readjusting to life on a Federation ship was more difficult than she expected it to be. Though, if Ro were being honest with herself, she'd hardly adjusted to it the first time around. The time on shift was at least something to keep her hours busy. She didn't have to think, and as long as it was just the rote work of running the helm, she didn't have to question her orders. There was something she hated about herself for finding comfort in turning her mind off that way. But it was better than starving, better than running. 

It was the down hours that had always been hard. At least in the Academy she could fill them with studying, training...drinking. Survival filled every hour of her childhood, and that was seared into Ro's bones. It was impossible to sleep in a place that felt so safe; she feared it always would be. But she found the holodecks ridiculous and with shift rotations, Ten Forward always too crowded. 

So, Ro found herself wandering the corridors, scowling enough so that no one would make eye contact. That had always been a good trick. That night, she ducked into one of the small all-purpose studios mostly used for martial arts, meditation, dance...things like that. It was empty, though, and when the lights flicked on at her entrance, she stared at her own reflection--guarded, tense. 

Ro sighed as she stretched her arms up. She'd come into Starfleet for something better, and yet she consistently held herself back. As she began to lengthen her body into the few yoga poses she remembered, letting her mind wander and her body slowly relax, Ro tried to find some way to center herself on a future she hadn't thought possible after her court martial. _She_ had always known her potential, but to have someone like Picard recognize it meant something to Ro. It was a push, at least. And maybe she needed a push from someone that wasn't herself for a change.

But she was pulled from her thoughts by the hiss of the doors. 

"Ensign Ro." Counselor Troi smiled. She was wearing a loose fitting white top and pants and her hair fell down her back. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I…" Ro felt her shoulders begin to knot immediately. "I should return to my quarters."

"Please...you were so relaxed. Don't let me interrupt."

Even though Ro began again, she was too conscious of her movements. She could make her body do what she wanted it to do, but there was no release in it. She kept cutting her eyes to Troi, whose movements were fluid, slow. 

"Is that yoga?"

"I picked it up at the Academy, but…" Ro's lips almost twitched up in a smile. "I've always been a little too impatient to really practice." She watched Troi openly, knowing it was rude but not really caring. Everyone thought she was rude, and it was a reputation Ro cultivated. It kept people away. 

"You're Betazoid; you were reading my mind when you came in."

"Only half."

"It's still rude." She crossed her arms. 

"Yes." Troi pursed her lips. "I wasn't expecting anyone, and you were so near peacefulness. It caught me because it seemed so...novel. But I can only sense emotion, Ensign. You'll have to forgive me."

Ro raised her eyebrows, unsure. "Just emotion?" She had seen torture, how interrogators who weren't even telepaths could get in someone's mind, let alone a telepath. But...Troi seemed sincere, maybe even harmless. 

"Yes. And I don't have to be empathic to sense your doubt and hesitation right now."

"No, I would think that would be fairly obvious."

"You know," Troi began, putting her hands on her hips. Ro did not like the appraising look in her eyes. "Captain Picard believes this is the right place for you, and we all trust him completely. I don't think he would have offered you the position if it weren't the case."

"I'm pretty sure Commander Riker disagrees."

It surprised Ro how musical Troi's laugh was. "Oh, Will just sees some of himself in you. He was young once...and angry and rebellious. But he was ambitious too. He never pushes at the system the way you do." She smirked, and Ro instantly liked her a whole hell of a lot better for it. "Maybe he's a little jealous. He's also protective of the captain, which is understandable."

"You...and Riker."

"A long time ago."

"Huh…" she said thoughtfully. Not who she would have picked for a past fling.

"You know you can always…"

"Counselor, if you're going to tell me I should come see you in your official capacity, please...don't. If the captain orders it, I will, but I just… I really don't think it's for me."

"While I think it might be a wise idea, I was going to say, you know you can always come see me if you need a friend. And you _should_ make friends, Ro. Captain Picard isn't the only one who wants you to succeed here."

"Will it help with the sleepless nights?" She clasped her hands behind her back as she looked up at the ceiling. 

Troi smiled. "You're going to have to see Dr. Crusher for that, I'm afraid."

"Counselor…"

"Deanna, please," she said warmly.

"Deanna," Ro said, pausing to swallow. This was not her strong suit, "thank you."

Before she realized it, Ro found herself laughing lightly. And just that made her feel more settled, more like she wasn't entirely out of place. She was afraid if she thought about it too hard even that would become unsettling. But friends...friends might be good. It was still strange, and she realized that friendships were going to be just as difficult as fitting into Starfleet was. But maybe Picard knew she could do that too. Guinan was certainly interesting enough, and she stuck around. So, all of these people couldn't be that bad. She'd never had female friends. Guinan and Troi seemed like a good start.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Glassesofjustice for beta work!


End file.
